[ RadSafe ] AAPM Response to NEJM article on CT scans and cancer risk

[Steven Dapra]

Dec. 1

         "increasing at an exponential rate"  This proves nothing.  What is 
the exponent, and what is the period of time over which the increase is 
occurring?  To illustrate,
one million raised to the exponential power of zero equals one.  Would it 
be correct to say that a least squares line could be fitted to any data 
set, and that an exponential increase (or decrease) could be calculated for 
the line?

         I have personally heard a professional anti-nuker claim in public 
that cancer is increasing at an exponential rate.  She was speaking out of 
her resounding ignorance, and in an attempt to frighten her listeners.

Steven Dapra


At 02:56 PM 12/1/07 -0800, John Jacobus wrote:
>At http://www.aapm.org/announcements/CTScans.asp
>
>The AAPM Statement on Radiation Dose from Computed Tomography, in response 
>to the Brenner and Hall NEJM
>article published Nov 29, 2007.

[edit]

>Dr. Brenner's article correctly points out that the use of CT is 
>increasing at an exponential rate, . . . .

[edit]